I work in museums and also volunteer for an historic church that is close to the Tower of London.
Over the past few weeks I have become aware of the dispute between cleaning staff at the Tower (and other Historic Royal Palaces sites) and HRP over the London Living Wage.
While we’ll probably all agree that no one gets into heritage to make it rich, I have never had to make choices between buying food and paying the rent. Yet many Londoners on low wages have to do just this on a regular basis.
Certainly, there has been increased awareness over the past couple of years for the need to pay our interns – at all, let alone a living wage! But it is important at the same time that we don’t overlook the people who make such a fundamental contribution to what we do.
This year, seven major London universities, agreed to pay all their low-wage staff the London Living Wage. I understand that the Museum of London has been paying its contract cleaners the London Living Wage since 2011.
However, I could only find Tate Modern and Tate Britain listed by Unison as paying their staff the London Living Wage. (Kudos to all three organisations.)
I would be delighted to learn that more museums and heritage organisations are paying their staff living wages and would particularly love to hear from anyone at HRP on how the organisation is engaging with its contractors to ensure the people who work to maintain their sites are paid a living wage.
Sorcha Ní Foghluda, London
Over the past few weeks I have become aware of the dispute between cleaning staff at the Tower (and other Historic Royal Palaces sites) and HRP over the London Living Wage.
While we’ll probably all agree that no one gets into heritage to make it rich, I have never had to make choices between buying food and paying the rent. Yet many Londoners on low wages have to do just this on a regular basis.
Certainly, there has been increased awareness over the past couple of years for the need to pay our interns – at all, let alone a living wage! But it is important at the same time that we don’t overlook the people who make such a fundamental contribution to what we do.
This year, seven major London universities, agreed to pay all their low-wage staff the London Living Wage. I understand that the Museum of London has been paying its contract cleaners the London Living Wage since 2011.
However, I could only find Tate Modern and Tate Britain listed by Unison as paying their staff the London Living Wage. (Kudos to all three organisations.)
I would be delighted to learn that more museums and heritage organisations are paying their staff living wages and would particularly love to hear from anyone at HRP on how the organisation is engaging with its contractors to ensure the people who work to maintain their sites are paid a living wage.
Sorcha Ní Foghluda, London
